Jay Jay the Jet Plane: Season 1
by Goldsaddletank
Summary: Season 1 of Jay Jay the Jet Plane stories, as requested by tate310. Please enjoy these 15 tales of friendship from Mr. E.Z O' Malley's airport in Tarrytown!
1. Herky's Candy Trouble

It had been a few days after Brenda Blue's birthday, and she was left with a heap of candy from friends and family. She felt that she was unable to eat all of it, so she decided to share it with her friends at Tarrytown.

She offered some sweets to Mr E.Z O' Malley and Miss Jones the librarian. She also gave some to Tracy, Jay Jay, Snuffy and Herky.

"Thanks Brenda!" they chorused.

"You're welcome," Brenda replied. "I didn't fancy managing it all myself."

The candy was delicious. Brenda allowed them a second bit each, but they had to wait until after supper.

But Herky didn't want to wait for his. He remembered the sweet tingle on his tongue and he knew he had to have another sweet.

...

Tracey and Snuffy had to make some deliveries that afternoon, leaving Jay Jay and Herky by themselves. But then Big Jake invited Jay Jay to come with him to Lightning Bug Lake which meant that Herky had no one to talk to or play with. This meant that the temptation to eat another sweet was far more intense than before. He didn't want to ask Brenda, as he knew she would say no. Soon, he decided to see Old Oscar in the hope of a distraction.

...

Only he couldn't find the old plane anywhere, and Savannah and Orland were nowhere to be seen either.

Then it happened.

As Herky was searching Brenda's workshop, he saw a bag on the solvency, and when he looked, he saw the familiar green and gold wrappers of the sweets he had had already. There were some blue and silver wrapped sweets too, but Herky wanted the ones in the green and gold wrappers.

Very carefully he pulled another one out. Untwisting the wrapper gleefully, he removed the sweet and popped it in his mouth. The delicious, sugary taste of fudge rolled over his tongue like an ocean wave, and he felt much happier.

"I guess one more wouldn't hurt." he told himself, "After all, Brenda did say that she couldn't manage them all."

So he pulled out another sweet, and another and a fourth and a fifth...

Soon, gold and green wrappers lay wrinkled on the floor round Herky and he soon realised that he didn't feel well.

"I don't feel well..." He groaned. His face was almost as green as grass, and when he tried to fly, he felt even sicker, so he gave up with a low moan "Ohh, I shouldn't have eaten all those sweets..." He groaned, and he felt ashamed of himself.

"Herky, are you alright?" Brenda Blue called from the door. Jay Jay had returned from Lighting Bug Lake and he was standing beside Brenda.

"I feel sick..." Herky whimpered.

"Herky, did you eat all those sweets?" Brenda asked in disbelief, gazing at the gold and green wrappers on the floor around the young helicopter.

"Yes. I'm really sorry, Brenda. I didn't mean to eat so much." Herky replied miserably. He was embarrassed as well as queasy.

"Eating too many sweets is not good for you." Brenda reminded the young helicopter. "You need to eat healthy foods. Sweets should be saved for every once in a while."

"Yes!" Jay Jay agreed. "You should also do exercise too. It will help you feel better."

Herky just groaned.

"Look, how about you sleep it off for a while, Herky?" Brenda suggested to her friend. "It'll help you feel better."

Okay Brenda." The young helicopter replied weakly. "And...I'm sorry..."

"That's okay, Herky- we all make mistakes." Brenda said. "But get some sleep, and you'll be flying high in no time. I'll clean this mess up." The mechanic added.

"Thanks Brenda."

With that, Herky went to sleep, unwilling to eat fudge anytime soon.


	2. Snuffy's Cloud Journey

One bright morning in Tarrytown, Snuffy and Herky were sitting outside in the warm sunshine looking at the clouds above them, and they began to observe 'cloud shapes'.

"Hey, look at that one! It looks like Breezy!" Herky called. Snuffy agreed that it did indeed resemble him, with beautiful fluttering wings and an agile looking body.

Snuffy looked around, and he saw one that looked like a giant white fluffy spanner. "That one looks like Brenda's spanner!" He exclaimed.

"Where? Oh, I see it! Wow, there's one that looks like a bee and a flower!" Herky said delightedly.

The young skywriter suddenly became awfully curious to find out why clouds were so important. They were in the sky nearly every day and they always looked like new things.

"Herky, why are clouds so important?" He asked his friend.

"I don't know." Herky answered. "Why don't you ask Jay Jay? He's smart."

Snuffy agreed, and after saying goodbye to his friend, he set off to see if Jay Jay could give him an answer.

...

He found Jay Jay racing their friend Tracy, so he waited patiently until it was over before he spoke to the blue jet.

"Hey Snuffy!" Jay Jay greeted.

"Hello Jay Jay." Snuffy replied. "I was hoping to ask you something."

"Okay, Snuffy. What's up?" The young blue jet asked curiously.

"Why are clouds so important? We see them nearly every day, but they don't seem to do much except make funny shapes and drop water on us."

Jay Jay thought about it for a long time, but he didn't know either. "Sorry Snuffy, but I'm not sure. You'd be best to ask Old Oscar. He knows a lot of things."

"Well, thanks anyway, Jay Jay." Snuffy sighed.

"You're welcome Snuffy." Jay Jay replied. "Good luck!"

And so Snuffy took off, eager to find Old Oscar.

But it turned out that Old Oscar was sick, and he didn't want to have visitors until he felt better. Snuffy sadly told Brenda he wished his friend would get well again and he left Brenda's workshop, despondent and upset.

Poor Snuffy! He couldn't find any answer to his question. He looked towards the sky sadly, hoping that somehow, the answer would appear.

Then, he heard the wind whistling and he had an idea. What if he went to Skylandia? His dear friend, Prince Duffy of Skylandia, will know the answer to his question! So Snuffy flew off excitedly to find Mr E.Z O'Malley and ask if he could fly to Skylandia to visit the prince.

"Yes of course you can." Mr O'Malley told the skywriter. "Just be careful, okay?"

"Don't worry sir, I will!" Snuffy replied excitedly, and soon he made his way to the runway for take-off.

He zoomed down the runway and flew up into the air. Snuffy whooped as he flew through the air -past so many white fluffy clouds and birds singing their songs. He couldn't wait to get to Skylandia!

...

Soon he arrived at the wind spout that he and his friends used to get into Skylandia whenever they wished to visit. He took a deep breath and zipped into the wind spout. He felt himself spinning around like clothes in a tumble drier, but he was already used to the feeling.

Once he flew out of the wind spout, he had a look round and saw Skylandia Castle in the distance. As always, it looked beautiful. "I'm back in Skylandia!" He cheered. "I better find Big Jocko and tell him I'm here so the Prince knows!"

He was so excited that he raced off without thinking to look where he was going- but when he did look, he suddenly saw Big Jocko flying towards him!

"Help!" He cried.

"Snuffy!" Big Jocko exclaimed, as Snuffy swerved to the left side to avoid hitting him, and as a result landed on the ground very hard. Big Jocko went to check on him.

"You should be more careful Snuffy! I didn't know you were coming here!" The place guard said crossly.

"I'm sorry Big Jocko. I didn't mean for this to happen." Snuffy replied sadly. The palace guard softened on hearing Snuffy's apology.

"That's okay. Just remember to be more careful in future. Are you alright?" Big Jocko asked in concern.

"I think so." Snuffy replied. "A bit dazed, but I'm in one piece."

"Good." Big Jocko said in relief. "Are you here to see the prince?" He asked the skywriter.

"Yes I am!" Snuffy answered eagerly. "I came all the way here to ask his Highness a very important question."

"In that case, I shall take you to the throne room immediately." Big Jocko told him.

"Thanks Big Jocko." Snuffy said, relieved.

"You're welcome." And with that, the two jets set off for the royal Skylandian throne room.

When they arrived, Snuffy saw his royal friend sitting in his usual place of honour in the room. His golden crown sparkled and shone like the sun.

Prince Duffy of Skylandia was delighted to see Snuffy again. "Welcome back to Skylandia Snuffy!" He greeted. "How can I help you?"

"Your Highness, I flew to Skylandia to ask you a very important question." Snuffy explained.

"I see. What is your question Snuffy?" The prince asked kindly.

"Why are clouds important?" Snuffy inquired. "All they do is drop water on people and make pictures in the sky."

"Yes, they do that, but they are very important in other ways. For one thing, they help us keep cool by giving us shade from the sun. It also holds water for the earth so that it doesn't flood and become a water ball."

"How else are clouds important?" Snuffy persisted.

"Well, they help water crops and provide water to drink and wash cars, planes and other vehicles with." The Prince answered.

"Ohh..." Snuffy breathed in awe. "I never thought about all that!"

Prince Duffy chuckled. "I hope I managed to answer your question, Snuffy." He said kindly.

"Yes you did! Oh, thank you, Your Highness!"

"You're welcome Snuffy." The royal skywriter replied. "I'm always happy to help a friend."

Snuffy was invited to stay in Skylandia for a little while longer, so he did, and he was very pleased with his new knowledge on clouds.


	3. Old Oscar's Wet Problem

It had been raining in Tarrytown, and the planes were miserable. E.Z Airlines couldn't afford to close, so the planes had to continue doing their jobs as usual, meaning that they got cold and wet constantly every time they had a job to do.

One day, Brenda Blue, the airport mechanic, came up to Old Oscar. "Big Jake's taken ill," She said. "You're needed to take some hay for the cows at the Tarrytown Dairy. Do you think you can do it?"

"Of course I can!" Old Oscar replied. "Where is it?"

"It's waiting for you by the runway. Good luck – and take care!"

So Old Oscar set off for the runway. He was given the hay, but he had to wait a while for it to be loaded properly and secured. Old Oscar felt impatient, as his paintwork was getting very wet, and he wanted to get on with his journey so that he could go and get it over with, and then get inside the warm, dry hanger again.

At last, after nearly ten minutes, all the hay was loaded, and Old Oscar took off. He flew well, and he did the journey as fast as he could without breaking safety rules – which was only a little bit faster than his usual speed.

All he could see around him were gigantic grey clouds pouring cold wet rain down on him and everything below him. Old Oscar felt some rain get in his eyes so the pilot had to slow him down in order to avoid an accident.

"Are you alright, Oscar?" He asked.

"Yes I'm fine." Old Oscar replied. "I just got a bit of rainwater in my eyes."

"Okay then. But be careful if you get more in your eyes again." The pilot answered, and redirected his attention to the plane's controls.

...

Soon, Old Oscar had arrived at the Tarrytown Dairy. He was glad to deliver the hay, and the dairy owner was pleased too. "Thanks, Old Oscar!" The dairy owner said. "Now the cows can have something warm and dry to rest on in this horrid weather."

"I'm always glad to help." Old Oscar replied. "I'd best head back. You take care."

"You better take care yourself – I don't like where this rainfall is going." The dairy owner warned, and with that Old Oscar set off for home.

...

On his way home, Old Oscar felt something strange happen to his paint. He couldn't see what was happening, and he was unable to describe it, but it worried him, because he never felt that before. So, he decided to ask Brenda about it when he returned. Maybe she knew what was wrong.

"There's the airport!" The pilot reported, and Old Oscar was relieved. Soon he'd be able to rest his weary wings and be warm and dry. He'd also ask Brenda what was wrong with him.

...

When he landed and finally returned to the hanger, he told Brenda about it. "Yes, that does sound strange. I'll check it out for you." She told the old plane.

"Thank you Brenda." Old Oscar said gratefully.

Brenda ran her hand along where Old Oscar had the funny feeling, and then she felt roughness lightly graze her hand. When she pulled it away, she saw the problem.

"Your paintwork's starting to rust away," She told him. "It must be from the rain."

Old Oscar was upset when he heard the news. "But I don't want to rust!" He protested. "I may be old, but I'm in my prime!"

"Don't worry Oscar. It's easily fixed." She told him soothingly, and she went to look for something buried deep in her workshop. When she returned, she was holding a container filled with a strange looking liquid. It didn't look like water, but he didn't know what it was.

"This stuff's called citric acid- and it shall clear the rust right up. It wouldn't hurt."

Old Oscar waited as Brenda cleared away the rust with the liquid. "There, you're looking as good as new." She told him a few moments later.

"Well, I don't want to get covered in rust again!" He huffed in reply. Then he had an idea that meant he wouldn't get covered in rust ever again. "I'm not going out again." He said stubbornly.

Brenda almost dropped the container in surprise.

"But you can't stay in the hanger!" She told him. This made the old plane very cross, and he glared at her.

"Fine. I'll stay in here until the rain stops!" He argued.

"But Oscar, what if you're needed to go out?" She asked him. "Mr E.Z O'Malley would be very cross with you. You only had to go out before because Big Jake had caught a very nasty cold after he ran out of fuel."

Old Oscar said nothing, but he still refused to budge from the hanger. Just then, Jay Jay pulled up beside Old Oscar.

"Hello!" He said cheerfully. "What's wrong?"

"Hello Jay Jay." Brenda replied. "Oscar's refusing to go in the rain because it spoiled his paintwork by rusting it."

"But you don't have rust Oscar." Jay Jay said to Old Oscar in confusion.

"Brenda cleaned it off. But I still refuse to go outside!" Old Oscar huffed indignantly.

Jay Jay thought about it. "Well, if Brenda got it off before, then she can do it again when it's needed." He pointed out.

"True." Old Oscar replied.

"Besides, you were being really helpful when you took the hay to the cows at the Dairy." Brenda added. "Mr O' Malley got a phone call from the Dairy Owner, and he heard you were wonderfully helpful, especially in the bad weather- and even more so because it was Big Jake's job originally, but you were the only one available after he got the cold." continued.

"Yeah!" The young blue jet agreed.

This brought a smile to the old plane's face. He always liked helping other people. "Well, you've got a point," He told them, still smiling. "I'll stay here for now, but as soon as someone else needs help, I'll brave the rain for them.

"That sounds good to me." Brenda said, and the three friends watched the rain fall outside- from the warmth of the indoors.

And Old Oscar remained true to his word.


	4. Savannah and the Coconut Tree

After a long flight back from France, Savannah the sleek and speedy silver supersonic jet of E.Z Airlines was glad to be back at Tarrytown again. She could see the airport in the distance, and she knew she was looking forward to having a nice long rest in the hangar and then she will also have a catch up with her friends as well and see what the other planes had done in her absence.

"There's the runway Savannah! Not much longer now!" The pilot said, and the silver sonic jet was glad to agree with this. She felt herself get giddy with excitement at the thought of seeing her friends again as the pilot began the descent.

Slowly but surely, every dip down brought Savannah closer to home than ever before, and yet it seemed as though it would be ages before she landed. But at last, however, she landed on the runway smoothly and glided along the tarmac to a graceful stop, like a graceful swan.

"It feels good to be home!" Savannah exclaimed.

Suddenly, at one end of the runway, she saw a strange sight. A tall and elegant coconut tree was standing there, looking as though it had been there all the time, but Savannah had never seen it before.

"What a lovely coconut tree!" She said warmly. "Why, it reminds me of the time I went to the Caribbean!"

Huge hairy brown coconuts sat amidst the long frond like green leaves of the tree, and its trunk was sloping, slender and a light brown. Savannah was excited.

"I wonder who else knows about the coconut tree." She said to herself, and went off to investigate.

...

First, she saw Tracey. "Hello Savannah! I'm glad you're back!" Tracey said. "We missed you."

"I missed you all too." Savannah replied softly. Then she decided to ask her friend about the coconut tree. "Tracey honey, did you see the coconut tree at the end of the runway?" She asked. It's absolutely beautiful!"

But the little pink jet just looked very confused.

"No I haven't seen the coconut tree." She said. "In fact, there isn't even a coconut tree at the end of the runway."

"But there is." Savannah insisted gently. "I saw it when I landed. It was a very large tree and it was leaning towards the left slightly."

"I'm sorry Savannah, but I haven't a coconut tree in Tarrytown." Tracey replied, and with that she went away, leaving Savannah confused.

"But I saw it – it was right there by the end of the runway." She said to herself. "Hm, perhaps Tracey hasn't seen it yet. I'll ask someone else and see if they'd seen it."

So Savannah decided to ask Big Jake and see if he had seen the coconut tree yet. She found him talking to Old Oscar, Jay Jay and Snuffy. This was unexpected, but Savannah decided she might as well ask all three as well as Big Jake to see if anyone had seen it yet.

"Excuse me darlings, but have any of you seen the coconut tree at the end of the runway?" She asked.

"What coconut tree?" Snuffy asked in confusion.

"No, sorry Savannah- haven't seen one here." Old Oscar said.

"I'm with Old Oscar here. I haven't seen it either." Big Jake said. He wanted to believe her, but he had never seen it before, so how could he?

"Have you seen the tree, Jay Jay honey?" Savannah asked him hopefully.

"Sorry Savannah. But I haven't seen one." He explained.

"Never mind, but thank you all the same." With that, she turned round and left.

...

Later, Savannah asked Herky and Brenda Blue about it, but neither of them knew a thing. They were both the same as everyone else- they hadn't seen it.

So Savannah sadly trailed back to the hangar to rest a while, as she was feeling very weary, and she had been going around asking all her friends if they had seen the mysterious coconut tree. But no one said they had.

"Why does no one believe me?" She asked, feeling very upset that none of her friends believed her. She wanted to show that the coconut tree was there, but how could she do that if everyone else were unwilling to believe that a coconut tree was by the end of the runway?

Then she had an idea.

"I could go back and see if the tree is still there." She said to herself. "If it is, then I could prove it exists to my friends!"

So instead of heading back to the hangar, she went to the end of the runway where she had seen the coconut tree.

It was still there. It was in the exact same place that she had seen it when she had arrived home from her trip. Savannah blinked a few times to ensure that she wasn't dreaming, but when she saw that she wasn't, she wondered why none of her friends believed that it existed.

"I can see it right here. So why hasn't anyone else seen it yet?"

But Savannah still didn't know the answer, so she trooped back towards the hangar sadly. She was going to have a nice long rest and hopefully find out about the coconut tree when she awoke.

But as soon as she reached her hangar, Snuffy and Tracey entered as well.

"Hey Savannah!" They said.

"Hello." Savannah replied dully.

"We're sorry you couldn't find the answer to the coconut tree." Snuffy said sadly.

"But Mr E.Z O Malley sent me and Snuffy to collect you and bring you to the runway – Mr O' Malley has a surprise for you!" Tracey added excitedly.

"For me-but he didn't have to go into all the trouble." Savannah said modestly.

"Well, he said you would like it. Come on, we're almost there!" The two excited planes said.

When they reached the runway, they saw Big Jake, Old Oscar, Jay Jay, Herky, Brenda Blue and Mr E.Z O'Malley himself all standing by the coconut tree.

"Welcome everyone!" Mr O' Malley said cheerfully. "I've brought you all here to show you all a wonderful surprise for our very own Savannah!"

Savannah was speechless. She didn't know what to say.

"I bought and had this coconut tree planted especially for Savannah as a welcome home present from her very long trip to France! I hope she likes it."

Savannah loved it. Unfortunately, she was also embarrassed about having asked all her friends about it when it turned out to be a surprise.

"Don't worry about it, Savannah." Big Jake told her kindly. "We didn't know about it until now. Well, we did know that Mr O' Malley wanted to surprise you, but we didn't know about the tree."

"That's alright." Savannah replied softly. "Thank you for my tree- it's beautiful."

And they all sat round it, admiring its exotic beauty.


	5. Big Jake Tells a Lie

Big Jake Told a Lie

...

It was a busy day in Tarrytown, and everyone was doing their best to ensure all their jobs were completed for the day. Unfortunately, Herky the helicopter had caught a nasty cold after a flight to Lightning Bug Lake in the rain, and he ended up with a mild fever overnight.

Mr E.Z O' Malley didn't like the idea of Herky working while he was sick, so he decided to give Herky some time off to recover. He also asked Big Jake if he could help look after him and ensure that he was put to sleep so that he could rest and shake off his illness.

"Yes sir, I'll be glad to help." Big Jake assured the manager of E.Z Airlines.

"Thank you, Jake. I knew I could rely on you." Mr O' Malley said, and he went away again, whilst Big Jake went to the hangar to check on Herky.

"How are you doing kid?" He asked kindly.

Herky coughed loudly. "I can't sleep." He groaned.

"Don't worry Herky, Mr O' Malley asked me to put you to sleep." Big Jake told him.

"Really- thanks Big Jake. I feel horrible."

"You're welcome." But Big Jake still had to think how to put Herky to sleep, but before he could ask the sick helicopter for ideas, Old Oscar entered the hangar.

"I need your help Jake!" He exclaimed.

"Sure Oscar- what is it?" Big Jake replied.

"I've got to go and cover ground duty, but I've also got to go and collect some tools and parts for Brenda to take to Skylandia, and there's no one else to help me!"

"Okay, don't worry Oscar, I'll help. What do you want me to do?" Big Jake asked determinedly.

"Right, I need you to fly to Brenda's workshop. She put the tools in a green toolbox, and the parts in a green crate. You're to take both to Prince Duffy and his friends in Skylandia kingdom. Got it?"

"Yes, I've got it. I'll do it as quick as I can."

"Thanks Jake." Old Oscar said.

"You're welcome Oscar." Big Jake replied. "Good luck with ground duty."

"Thanks."

...

So Big Jake went to the workshop to collect the Skylandia delivery. Once they were loaded, he went back to the hangar and explained to Herky he had to go to Skylandia, but he promised that he will come back and put Herky to sleep.

"Okay Big Jake." Herky replied sadly. "Please come back soon."

"I will. I promise." Big Jake said, and with that, he set off for the runway.

But just as he was about to leave, he saw Mr E.Z O' Malley walk towards him, and he realised his mistake. He couldn't tell Mr O'Malley he hadn't put Herky to sleep yet! He would be so disappointed. Big Jake couldn't let that happen.

But what could he do?

"Ah, there you are Jake- have you put Herky to sleep yet?" Mr O' Malley asked him hopefully. Big Jake wanted to say he had, but that would be lying. Although, he promised Herky he would do it as soon as he got back.

"Yes I have sir." He replied quickly but trying not to be too obvious that he was lying.

"Excellent!" Now, I have to see to Tracey and Snuffy, so where are you headed off to?"

"Skylandia, sir- Old Oscar needed me to take a delivery for him because he's on ground duty, sir."

"I see. Brenda will have handled it. I've been run off my feet." He said. "Well, I'll let you get on to Skylandia."

"Yes sir." Big Jake said. And with that, he set off towards the runway and took off to fly for the wind spout.

...

As he flew along, he realised what he had done. "I...I told a lie to Mr O'Malley." He said to himself. "I haven't told a lie to anyone in years."

He knew that he shouldn't have done it, but he told himself that he will sort everything out as soon as he returned to Tarrytown.

Soon, he saw the wind spout in the distance. "Well, here goes nothing." He said to himself, and he flew straight into it. Big Jake never liked swirling around in the wind spout, but he hardly noticed due to his guilt on lying to Mr E.Z O'Malley about Herky.

...

Once he exited the wind spout, he flew straight to the castle where Prince Duffy and his friends lived. As he approached, he saw his Skylandian counterpart, Big Jocko, who was the prince's guard.

"Hello Big Jake!" Big Jocko greeted warmly. "What brings you here?"

"I have a delivery for the prince." Big Jake said in reply.

"Ah, that will be for Marchioness Becky Burgundy, I presume." Big Jocko said. On seeing Big Jake's confused expression, he explained that Becky was also the mechanic for Skylandia.

"Well, come with me." Big Jocko told Big Jake, and the planes entered the castle. They talked for a while about how things had been and what had happened since they last visited.

"Here we are!" The guard exclaimed as they reached the throne room. Big Jake entered first, and he saw everyone – Count Winger, Old Oscar's counterpart; Lady Stacey, Tracey's counterpart; Jerky the court jester, Herky's counterpart, and so on.

He also saw a woman standing next to Duchess Susanna, who was looking unwell.

"Don't worry, your parts will have arrived Susanna!" The woman said.

"That's Marchioness Becky Burgundy." Big Jocko whispered to Big Jake.

She wore a long, flowing red dress over which she had oily overalls, and a pointed hat with a light red silk veil. "Hello!" She greeted. "I'm Marchioness Becky Burgundy, and you must be Big Jake. I've heard a lot about you."

"Thanks." Big Jake said, smiling.

"Duchess Susanna's been feeling ill, and she needed new parts. I'm so glad you brought them for me – now I can repair her and make her feel better. Thank you."

"You're welcome." He replied, and then he remembered that he needed to get to Tarrytown and put Herky to sleep quickly.

"I've got to return to Tarrytown. Herky's not feeling well either, so I've promised to put him to sleep."

"I see. Well, I hope to see you again soon, Big Jake."

"Thanks, Marchioness Becky. I hope to see you again too."

So after saying goodbye to everyone, Big Jocko escorted Big Jake back to the grounds and Big Jake took off, heading for the wind spout to return home.

...

When Big Jake returned to Tarrytown, he saw Mr O'Malley waiting for him, and he was furious. "Jake, I asked you if you put Herky to sleep, and you told me you had. But you haven't. Why did you lie to me?"

"I'm sorry sir. But Old Oscar had too much to do sir, and I didn't want to let him down, as it was urgent. But I didn't want to let you down either."

"Well, you have. And you've betrayed my trust as well." Mr O' Malley said sternly.

"Is there any way I can make it up to you, sir?" Big Jake asked guiltily.

"Well, you can agree to stop telling fibs. They're not good. And you can put Herky to sleep as well."

"Yes sir. I will." Big Jake promised. So he went over to the hangar to see to Herky once Mr. O' Malley had spoken to him.

"You're back." Herky wheezed.

"Yes, and I'm sorry I've left you, kid. But I'm here to put you to sleep now."

"Jake, can tell me a story?" Herky requested.

"Sure." Big Jake replied "I owe you that much."

So Big Jake told Herky about his trip to Skylandia, and meeting the Marchioness Becky Burgundy. When he finished his story, he saw that Herky was asleep at last.

"Sweet dreams Herky." He said softly, and he left the hangar to tell Mr O'Malley he'd put Herky to sleep- for real this time.


	6. Tracy's Pet Frog

Tracy's Pet Frog

...

One beautiful sunny morning in Tarrytown, Tracy was playing at Lightning Bug Lake with her friends Jay Jay, Herky and Snuffy. They were playing Leap- Jet, which was Tracy's favourite game, but just as it was her turn to leap over her friends, they all heard a strange noise coming from the lake.

"What was that?" Herky asked.

"It's a monster!" Snuffy exclaimed in fright. "Quick we need to get back to the airport and warn everyone!"

But Tracy and Jay Jay laughed.

"It's only a frog!" Jay Jay said.

"Yeah guys, it wouldn't hurt you!" Tracy added. She saw that the frog looked lonely. "Aw, I think the frog needs a friend." She said. "I shall keep him as my pet frog!"

"Are you sure, Tracy?" Jay Jay asked.

"Of course I'm sure!" She replied. "I think I'll call him Henry. He looks like a Henry to me."

The others didn't know what to say, but they could see Tracy was happy with Henry, so they decided not to say anything about it.

"So Henry, what do you want to do?" Tracy asked her friend. But Henry just croaked loudly, so Tracy thought about it for a moment. "I know! How about I fly you back to the hangar and show you to Brenda and Savannah!" She suggested.

The frog just croaked again, and hopped on her wing and then inside her.

"Well, here we go!" She called, and she flew off to show Henry to Brenda Blue. But when she took off, she heard Henry making strange noises. He sounded as if he was scared of flying with Tracy.

"Hm, sounds like you don't like flying. Sorry Henry- but don't worry, I'll have you down again in no time!"

So she flew back towards the ground, and allowed Henry to hop out. "I'm sorry Henry. I didn't know you don't like flying, but how will you be able to get back to the hangar now? Hey, I have idea- let's see if hopping back to the hangar is faster than flying!"

With that, she zipped off. But poor Henry wasn't very fast, and he wasn't a very slim frog either, so he slowed down quite quickly, and so he hopped along, croaking.

...

When Tracy arrived back at the hangar, she found Jay Jay, Herky and Snuffy all talking to Savannah, Brenda and Big Jake about their trip to Lightning Bug Lake.

"Hi everyone!" She called out cheerfully.

"Hello Tracy!" Her friends chorused in response.

"We heard you got yourself a new friend at Lightning Bug Lake." Big Jake said. "Where is he?"

"Henry couldn't come with me, because he hates flying." Tracy explained. "But he'll turn up any minute."

"Are you sure?" Jay Jay asked. "I don't see him."

Tracy was worried. What if something had happened to Henry? She didn't want him to get hurt. "Well, maybe he's lost. I better go and find him." She told them, and so she started to leave the hangar. But on her way out, she heard a familiar noise- and then she saw Henry right in front of her! Fearing she might hit him, Tracy swerved to avoid a collision with him – and toppled over!

"Oof!" She exclaimed.

"Are you alright, Tracy?" Snuffy asked, as he and Jay went over to help her up again.

"I'm fine. It was just an accident." Tracy replied. Once she was up on her wheels again, she wondered what she could do with her pet. "How about we play fetch?" She asked Henry, but he just gave her a funny look.

"Uh, Tracy, frogs can't play fetch." Big Jake told her.

"Okay, how about you do tricks?" She asked. "Henry, sit!"

"He is sitting though." Herky pointed out.

"Well, then roll over!" Tracy commanded, but Savannah told her gently that frogs couldn't roll around.

Suddenly, Henry hopped away again!

"Henry wait, come back!" She called to the frog, but it was no use. The amphibian was making his way to the door of the hangar.

Unfortunately, Mr E.Z O' Malley, owner of E.Z Airlines, came into the hangar to talk to the planes about something important when he saw Henry hopping about. He moved his foot to avoid the frog, but tilted too far to the left and fell down, horrifying the planes, especially Tracy.

"I'm sorry sir, that wasn't meant to happen!" Tracy gasped. "He was just so excited to hop about, that he went for the door. Are you alright?"

"Yes I am. But I feel that the...frog might be best returned to its natural habitat." He said.

"The frog's name is Henry, and he's my pet!" Tracy defended, but Mr O' Malley wasn't having it.

"I'm sorry Tracy, but I think its best that Henry goes home." Mr O' Malley told her, and Tracy knew there was no point in arguing.

"Yes, sir." Tracy said sadly. "I'll take him back to Lightning Bug Lake."

"But how? He hates flying." Snuffy pointed out. They all knew he was right, so they wondered how they would be able to get him home to Lightning Bug Lake.

Then Jay Jay had an idea. "Do you know what Henry likes?" He asked.

"I've heard that frogs like lily pads." Brenda suggested. "They also require moisture to survive."

"Well, we could take him by flying, by putting him in a box filled with water and with holes on the lid to breathe and if we went slowly." Jay Jay explained.

"It's worth a shot." Brenda said. "I have an old lunchbox we can use."

"Okay then!" Tracy said. But she felt sad at having to put Henry back home. "I guess this is goodbye, Henry." She said sadly.

Henry just croaked in response.

"I'm gonna miss you." She told him, as she saw Brenda return with the old lunchbox. It had holes in the lid, it had water for Henry and it was clean.

Brenda picked Henry up, and gingerly placed him in the box, before shutting the lid. She then handed the box to Tracy's pilot.

"Slow and careful, remember?" She reminded Tracy.

"I know- so I don't scare Henry." She sighed sadly. "Brenda, why does Henry have to go back?"

"Well, animals have their own habitats, Tracy. They need their own space to live in. But you can always go back and see him when you're not busy."

"I suppose I could..." Tracy said, a smile lighting her face. She felt a bit better about goodbye to Henry, but she was still going to miss her amphibian friend.

So with these thoughts in mind, Tracy set off to Lightning Bug Lake.

...

The flight was even longer than usual, as Tracy had to deal with going at a slower pace than what she was used to, but she eventually arrived at Lightning Bug Lake. "There you are, Henry." She said, as her pilot got out, carrying the box to the lake before opening the lid carefully.

Henry hopped out, looking much happier to be home. He hopped over to the lake and went into some marshy reeds nearby. But before he did, he turned round, and croaked a 'goodbye' to Tracy.

"Goodbye Henry. I hope you'll be a much happier frog." She said. Then she decided to return to Tarrytown and talk to her friends.


	7. Jay Jay and the Wishing Star

Jay Jay remembered a time when, before Herky had gotten his gum shield, that he couldn't sleep because his helicopter friend was snoring loudly and Jay Jay was unable to sleep due to the noise that he was making.

Feeling tired and restless, the young jet decided to go out of the hangar for a little while and get some fresh air. So he did just that, and for a while he looked up at the night sky. The stars twinkled high above him, in blue, silver and brilliant white, and the full moon shone right above the hangar like a soft coloured, silvery night light.

Being out of the hangar by himself reminded Jay Jay of his first night flight when he came to Tarrytown- it had been very foggy, and he also remembered when he stayed out too long and got lost, and how Herky used some fireflies to become a giant ball of light to rescue him and bring him home.

As Jay Jay sat there, remembering, he saw something hurtling across the sky. It was bright and silver and the little jet knew what it was. "A wishing star!" He breathed. "Big Jake told me that if you make a wish, it'll come true! Wait, I know what I'm gonna wish for!"

He took a deep breath, looked up, closed his eyes tightly and said, in the quietest voice he could manage; "I wish that Herky would stop snoring and let me get some sleep."

He opened his eyes again, and watched as the wishing star hurtled from view. He hoped his wish would come true. He suddenly yawned, and fell asleep outside the hangar.

...

The next morning, Jay Jay was awoken by Big Jake, who found the young jet asleep just outside the hangar door.

"Are you okay, Jay Jay?" He asked in concern.

"Yes, I'm fine, Big Jake."

"Why were you sleeping outside the hangar? You could catch a cold and become ill."

"Sorry Big Jake. I couldn't sleep, so I decided to watch the stars and I must have fallen asleep." Jay Jay explained.

Big Jake said nothing for a moment. He just looked at Jay Jay with concern, before he asked his young friend a question. "Is there any particular reason why you couldn't sleep last night?" He spoke his question with a soft, gentle voice.

Jay Jay hesitated. Should he tell Big Jake about Herky's snoring? He knew that the older plane was trying to help him, but he also felt that if he said something about the helicopter's snoring, word might get around and he would end up hurting Herky's feelings. He didn't want to do that, as Herky was his friend. But so was Big Jake, and he didn't want to lie about the matter.

"Well, I've just had something on my mind, that's all." He said. It wasn't entirely a lie- Herky's snoring had gotten to him and he was too bothered by it to sleep.

Big Jake didn't look like he believed Jay Jay entirely, but he decided not to push matters. "Well, if you want to talk, I'll be around to listen, Jay Jay." He said kindly, and with that, he went away.

"At least I didn't say anything about Herky's snoring." Jay Jay said to himself once Big Jake was gone. "Now what do I do?"

Then he remembered his wish on the wishing star from the night before. "Of course! Hopefully the wishing star would have made my wish come true!" He said to himself. "I just need to wait until tonight to see if it worked."

So he decided to get on with his day and see if his wish would work or not.

...

He had a very busy day, and now poor Jay Jay was very tired. He had played Leap Jet with his friends, took two deliveries; one to the dairy by himself, and another one with Old Oscar and Snuffy to Mountain View Airport. It had been a good day, though. Now Jay Jay was eager to find out if his wish had come true or not.

He watched as Herky got ready to fall asleep. "Goodnight, Jay Jay." The helicopter said, yawning.

"Goodnight Herky. Sweet dreams." Jay Jay replied, and soon Herky settled down to sleep. Then, Jay Jay listened carefully.

The hangar was...silent.

He couldn't hear any snores from Herky at all! He just heard a light snuffle from him, but it wasn't very loud, so Jay Jay wasn't bothered by it. He was just happy that he was finally getting some peace and quiet.

The little jet was excited to finally get some good night's sleep, and so, he settled down to sleep.

Jay Jay slept soundly through the night, and the next morning, he felt fantastic! Herky was awake too. He saw Jay Jay was no longer asleep, and asked to talk to him.

"Sure, Herky. What is it?" Jay Jay asked him.

"Well, first, I want to say that I'm sorry if I kept you awake with my snoring." Herky told him. Jay Jay was confused, as he hadn't told Herky he'd been snoring. So who did?

"I forgive you Herky. But who told you that you were snoring?" He asked curiously.

"Tracy told me when you and Snuffy were at Mountain View with Oscar. She said it'd been bothering her and Snuffy, but he didn't want to say anything. Why didn't you tell me it bothered you?"

"I'm sorry, Herky, but I didn't want to hurt your feelings." Jay Jay explained.

"Jay Jay, we're friends. We can tell each other these things. It hurt even more that I was keeping you guys awake. But don't worry, it wouldn't be happening again."

"How?" Jay Jay asked his friend.

"Brenda told me that she'll look into getting me something to stop me snoring. But she also taught me a trick she learned from her father when she was young about breathing reduction."

"What's that?" The little jet asked his friend.

"It just means I take lighter breaths." Herky replied.

Jay Jay was relieved that not only did his wish come true the previous night, but his friend's sleeping problem was going to be fixed long term.

He silently thanked the wishing star for granting his wish.


	8. Snuffy and the Stars

It was a calm day at E.Z Airlines, and Mr E.Z O' Malley was deciding on who should be doing ground duty that night. "Well, Jay Jay did it yesterday." He muttered to himself. "And Herky did the night before. Hmm. I know; I'll get Snuffy to do it. It's been a while since he did it."

So Mr O' Malley went to see Snuffy about doing ground duty. He found him talking to Tracy and Old Oscar. "Ah, excuse me Snuffy, might I have a word with you?" He asked politely.

"Yes sir." Snuffy replied nervously, and he followed E.Z O' Malley to a quiet corner of the airport.

"Listen, Snuffy, I need you to do ground duty tonight, because everyone else has had a turn before you this week."

"Yes sir." Snuffy replied. "I'll do it."

"Good," Mr O' Malley smiled warmly. "I knew I could count on you Snuffy. Oh, but a word of warning; be careful when returning to your hangar. It's going to be very, very dark tonight, and we don't want you to get lost."

"Okay, Mr O' Malley sir, I'll be careful!" The little skywriter replied.

"Good." Mr O'Malley smiled warmly. "Just remember not fly out with the perimeter of the airport, okay?"

"I will. Wait, what's a perimeter?" They curious little plane asked.

"Well, it's a space surrounding a place or an object. Just remember, if you can see the lights, you should be within the range of the airfield." With that, he walked away, leaving Snuffy to wonder what tonight had in store for him.

...

Later, after a long day, Snuffy was about to set off for ground duty. But he was stopped by Jay Jay. "Where are you going, Snuffy?" He asked in concern.

"I'm on ground duty." Snuffy replied. "I thought I told you earlier...oh, oops. Sorry Jay Jay - I was meant to tell you and the others that I'm on ground duty tonight, but I forgot."

"Don't worry, I'll tell them for you." Jay Jay reassured his friend.

"Thanks Jay Jay." Snuffy smiled in relief.

You're welcome. Be careful." Jay Jay cautioned.

"I will. Goodnight Jay Jay!" Snuffy said to his friend.

"Goodnight Snuffy and good luck!" Jay Jay smiled. Snuffy said thank you and the two friends parted ways for the time being.

...

Soon, Snuffy was flying over E.Z Airlines, looking all around him for any sign of anything different, but there was nothing out of the ordinary.

"Everything looks fine." He said to himself. "But I'll do another look round, just in case I missed something." So that is what he did. He flew another lap round the airport- but this turned out to be a gaffe.

Poor Snuffy soon grew very dizzy, and he ended up veering off course by mistake! He decided to land to recover himself from his dizzy spell. But no sooner had he done so, when he realised he was surrounded by total darkness. At first, he was confused and bewildered as he wondered what had happened to the airport.

"It looks like I've lost the airport." The innocent skywriter remarked to the pilot.

"I'm afraid it's the other way round, buddy." The pilot informed, climbing out of Snuffy's cockpit.

Snuffy suddenly remembered Mr O'Malley's words to him from before: 'It's going to be very, very dark tonight, and we don't want you to get lost.'...' Just remember, if you can see the lights, you should be within the range of the airfield.'

The little skywriter's engine turned cold in fright. "We're lost!" He exclaimed, and burst into tears. He was lost, the pilot couldn't see anything and he couldn't waste his fuel supply flying around to find the airport and getting himself lost further.

...

Luckily, the pilot had an idea. "Well, we could find out way back using astro navigation."

"What's that?" Snuffy asked, hiccupping through his tears.

"It means using the stars to find our position and head home. People at sea have done this for a long time." The pilot answered, patting Snuffy's wing. "If we find the North Star, we can get our approximate location, and fly back."

"Okay. Can I help?" Snuffy asked, feeling calmer now that there was a way to get home safely.

"Yes, you can. We find the North Star by finding the Big Dipper. It'll be near there."

"But what if we lose the North Star? What if it moves away? Snuffy asked in a panic.

"It wouldn't. The North Star's always there, no matter what. Now let's find the Big Dipper."

...

Unfortunately, neither of them could find the Big Dipper. "It's no use. I'm sure it's out- I normally see it." The pilot moaned. "I'm sorry Snuffy."

But a strange sight in the sky caught Snuffy's eye. He looked at it, and then looked at his pilot. "Look up there, sir! That group of stars look like an old plough!" He remarked innocently.

"Wait, where?" The pilot asked urgently.

"Up there," The plane answered, wondering why the pilot was so excited.

The pilot gaped when his eyes fell on the constellation. "Snuffy, you've done it! Now there's the Dubhe star, and... yes, I see it! Polaris! The North Star! We're going that way!" He pointed down south.

"Yes, sir," Snuffy replied doubtfully.

"Trust me; we'll be home in no time." The pilot promised, and with that, he climbed back on board Snuffy's cockpit and the two set off for home.

...

At last, after an undetermined amount of time, the two arrived home very late. Snuffy was so exhausted, he wanted to sleep on the runway, but the pilot took him back to the hangar. "Mr O' Malley would be wondering what's become of us." He said. "I'll explain the situation and assure him you're safe, while you get some sleep. Okay?

"Alright..." the young plane said with a yawn "Goodnight sir..."

"Goodnight, Snuffy. Sleep well." The pilot told him, closing the door of the hangar carefully so as not to disturb anyone.

Snuffy sighed with contentment as he fell asleep. He decided to tell his friends about his adventure in the morning, and maybe ask the pilot if they could all learn to 'astro-navigate.' It'd helped him, and he wanted it to help them in future, should they get lost, too.


	9. Orland's Visit

It was a beautiful warm sunny day in Tarrytown, and the birds' singing was almost drowned out by excited chatting from inside the airplane hangar of E.Z Airlines airport.

"I'm so excited for when he arrives!" Jay Jay exclaimed joyfully.

"I just hope that nothing bad happens when he does come." Old Oscar added thoughtfully.

But just as he said that, they all heard a loud screech of wheels on tarmac. That meant only thing at E.Z Airlines, and that was... "He's here!" Jay Jay cheered and he hurried out to greet the new arrival. Tracy, Snuffy and Herky followed him, then Big Jake, Old Oscar and Savannah tailed them.

A blue jet with tangerine stripes was on the runway. He looked as though he was in a bad mood, and he didn't look as though he wanted to be here. His name was Orland and he had flown to E.Z Airlines from North Peaks, a neighbouring airport. The planes all began cheering as they went to see him and welcome him to their home.

"Why are you all cheering on me?" Orland asked the cavalcade grumpily.

"We're really happy to see you." Old Oscar replied politely, but hearing this only made Orland's grumpy look turn into a scowl.

Mr E.Z O' Malley, the man in charge of airport operations, came over to see what was going on. "Ah, Orland, I see you have arrived! Welcome."

"Who are you?" Orland asked Mr. O' Malley rudely.

"I'm Mr E.Z O'Malley, and I'm in charge here. I am allowing you to stay at my airport, and I don't expect you to show such appalling manners, so while you are here, you are to show courtesy and respect. Am I clear?"

Orland didn't like being told what to do, but he didn't want to risk going back to North Peaks in a flash, so he decided to tone things down a notch.

"Yes sir. I will sir." He agreed sullenly.

"Good. I also expect you to follow the rules whilst you're here. You shouldn't be told this, but I do not allow tomfoolery around here."

"Alright, sir, I'll behave." Orland promised half-heartedly.

"Excellent." Mr O' Malley replied.

...

Orland was allowed to go into the hangar to rest a while after his trip. He had woken up early for his flight, so he willingly accepted the privilege and was soon sound asleep, and he didn't wake up until night had long fallen over Tarrytown.

As Orland looked out of the door of the hangar at the beautiful night sky, he suddenly had an idea. "I'll fly out there into the night!" He said to himself. "I'll be so loud and so grand that when the other planes wake up and notice me, they'll tell me that I am the greatest plane in the world!"

So after checking that the other airplanes were sleeping, that is what he did- he flew out of the hangar into the night.

The sky was very stunning, with sparkling stars speckled in the sky, and a large moon the colour of a silver coin. But Orland was too busy focusing on performing an impressive flying display than the marvel of the night sky.

But just as he was performing loop the loops and backward somersaults in the dark, hoping that the other planes would notice him, disaster struck. One of Orland's lights went 'POP!' and the glow that the light possessed disappeared in a flash.

"Oh no- my light's gone out!" He exclaimed. "I can't see!"

"We better land now or we'll crash!" The pilot exclaimed in alarm. Orland agreed, but he was reluctant to land as he didn't know the landscape very well, and he was afraid to land on something he shouldn't, like a tree or a house.

But worse was to come- the pilot could make out the silhouette of a very tall tree ahead of them. "Watch out!" He yelled, and he swerved to avoid ramming into the tree.

"Now what do we do?" Orland asked, feeling very frightened at the fact that he was in the dark- without his light.

"I'll try to find the airport and land there." The pilot decided. "It's risky, but I'm also not keen on getting you banged up by a tree."

...

Using a compass, map and torch, the pilot was able to work out where they were at the moment, and also how far they were from the airport. "Right, we need to go this way, Orland!" The pilot called, and he turned Orland in a north east direction before flying off in that bearing.

...

Before he knew it, Orland back at E.Z Airlines, and he was very glad to be back on firm ground again. However, his fear was short lived, when he saw Mr. O'Malley glaring at him. He was very, very unhappy with Orland, and he knew why.

"Airplanes are strictly prohibited to fly out at night unless they have permission to do so. You have broken a very important safety rule."

Although Orland didn't want the pilot to mention anything about it, the pilot shakily confessed about the plane's busted light.

"Ah, so you have broken two safety rules! Every plane, no matter what their circumstances, should land as soon their light goes out. Is that understood?" Mr O' Malley asked sternly.

"Yes sir. I'm very sorry sir." Orland replied sadly.

"I hope so, for I am prepared to give you one more chance, Orland." Mr O' Malley replied sternly. "Now go back to your hangar, please."

Orland did, and he was feeling very ashamed of himself. Whilst he was a show off at times and could be stubborn, grumpy and rude, he is not a rule breaker. He decided to try his best to make it up to Mr O' Malley tomorrow morning.

I do hope that Orland has learned his lesson from that night and use it to prove that he is a much better jet plane than one who breaks the rules and makes reckless decisions. Don't you hope so too?


	10. Tarrytown Olympics

Adaption of the Stationmaster's story

...

All the planes at E.Z Airlines felt very excited as it was the upcoming Tarrytown Olympics, which was a very important and thrilling event for the planes and people involved, as well as the airport itself. Tracy was the most excited of them all, because she wanted to win a gold medal for the Sky Ring event. She had performed in this event excellently last year, but she came second and won a silver medal.

She had vowed that this year, she would win a gold medal and gain first place. So in order to win, she had asked her friends Herky and Snuffy to help her train for the Sky Ring competition, as everyone else was helping with preparations, plus Big Jake and Jay Jay had events of their own to train for, so they were very busy themselves.

"Alright, Tracy, are you ready to start?" Herky asked her, which caused Tracy to shake off her thoughts and remember what she was currently doing – which was training for the Sky Ring race.

"Yes I am, Herky!" she replied excitedly. She felt ready, too. She loved performing at the Sky Ring competition, as she was a very good flier and she was into sporting events.

"Okay, ready steady go!" Snuffy called out, and the two watched her take off into the sky. High above, Tracy wanted to flabbergast her friends, so she flew through the makeshift rings with relative ease.

"That's really good, Tracy!" Snuffy called out. "Keep it up!"

"Just remember to turn right at the next set of rings!" Herky added.

But Tracy, still dreaming about her gold medal, flew through the left set of rings instead. This made Herky and Snuffy cross. When she landed, they went to tell her what she did wrong, because they didn't want their friend to be disqualified for turning the wrong direction.

"Tracy, when we tell you to fly left, fly left. If we say fly right, then fly right. You need to follow the rules in order to be able to win a gold medal- no one gets it by cheating or breaking the rules." Snuffy reminded her.

"Sorry," Said Tracy apologetically. "I'll try again."

"Okay." Snuffy replied. "Just remember the rules."

So Tracy took off again. This time, she remembered all the correct turns she had to make.

When she landed the second time, Snuffy and Herky cheered loudly and supportively.

"That was brilliant, Tracy!" They chorused. "You didn't make a single mistake!"

"Thanks," Replied Tracy modestly. "Would you mind if I have another practice? Just to make sure I have a perfect round ready for tomorrow." She explained hastily. She did want to win so very badly, but she didn't want to get her friends annoyed with her for wanting to practice more.

"Of course not," They said together.

"Just remember to follow the rules!" Snuffy reminded her.

"I will Snuffy. Don't worry, I promise I wouldn't do that again."

"Alright then, Tracy...Ready, steady, go!"

They watched as she took off again, and did all the routes she was meant to do. This time, she remembered all the correct turns she had to go, and each time she turned left or right, it was smooth, yet with a sharpness meant for speed.

Snuffy and Herky were pleased with her progress, and they both gave feedback on her runs so that she could improve on her next shot. After a few more runs of a similar but improving quality, she claimed she felt ready to claim the gold, so they called it a day and decided to rest, so that they would be ready for the big day ahead.

...

The next morning, the Olympics were due to start at nine o' clock. Big Jake and Jay Jay had an event in the Olympics like Tracy did so after she wished them both luck; she went to train for her event – by herself this time, so that Snuffy and Herky could cheer their friends on.

The Olympics were on hold for a lunch break for an hour, so Tracy rested for a while, feeling very confident that she would win a gold medal in the Sky Rings Event.

It was the very last event of the day, and it started at half past four, and when it was nearly the time for the competition, Tracy felt very, very nervous. But remembering her practice, and the faith Snuffy and Herky had in her whilst training, as well as all her other friends, she felt that she could do anything.

...

She was the only competitor from Tarrytown. The other three planes; a black one, a red one and a green one were all unfamiliar and from different airports.

When the event started, Tracy was last place. But when she heard her friends cheering on her, especially Snuffy and Herky, she gained determination, and flew past first the green plane, then the black, and finally, the red one.

As she flew on through the rings, Tracy felt exhilarated due to how fast she was flying, and the sharp turns made her feel as though she would win the competition.

However, on her last leg, the red plane overtook and finished in first place. However, Tracy was not far behind him, and finished in second place overall.

...

"Well done, Tracy!" Herky and Snuffy told her later, after the medal presentations. Tracey now had a beautiful silver medal shining against her paintwork. "You did really well, and we're proud of you."

"Thanks guys," Tracy replied, smiling. "And thank you for training me. You helped me get where I am. I may not have come first, but I had fun today."

"We're glad to hear it." Herky told her, smiling proudly.

"Besides, you could always get a gold medal next year, if you wanted." Snuffy added.

Tracy thought about it. "Well, I would like it if I did, but I'm happy with a silver medal. Being second is not the worst." She told them, smiling.


	11. Lullaby

Herky and his friends loved playing games together. They were fun games, but they were games that often required being outside due to the fact they needed a lot of room to fly around in. This normally wasn't a problem, however, as it was sunny in Tarrytown a lot.

Until one day, when it wasn't so sunny at all! A heavy rainfall had fallen over Tarrytown, and dark grey clouds, pouring rain and flooding rivers kept everyone inside- including Jay Jay, Tracey, Herky and Snuffy.

"I'm bored." Snuffy said.

"Me too," Agreed Herky. "It's no fun being indoors."

"Well, we could play an indoor game." Tracey suggested.

"Great idea Tracey!" Jay Jay told her. "But what will we play?" He asked.

"I want to play Jet Frog!" Herky declared.

"Hmm, could we manage that?" Jay Jay wondered. "I mean this hangar is a bit small..."

"We could do it in mine," Offered Herky, who was really eager to play Jet Frog. "It's a lot bigger, remember?"

"Oh yeah!" Snuffy exclaimed. "That should be big enough!"

"Herky, you're a genius." Tracey added.

This made Herky beam with pride. So the four friends went to go and play Jet Frog.

After Tracey and Snuffy, and then Jay Jay and Tracey, Herky and Jay Jay were playing a round of Leap Jet. They were having a lot of fun!

"Whee!" Jay Jay exclaimed, as he flew over his helicopter friend. "This is fun!"

"Yeah!" Herky agreed.

"Your turn, Herky." Jay Jay told him.

So Herky flew over Jay Jay, and then he waited as his friend flew over him. Only, as Jay Jay did so, he forgot to check he wasn't going to hit anything, and after flying over his friend, he saw he was heading for a wooden table on which a yellow box was kept.

"Jay Jay, look out!" Snuffy and Tracey yelled from behind him, but it was too late- Jay Jay crashed into the table and broke it and the yellow box!

"Oh no! My gum shield!" Herky cried. "It was in the yellow box!"

"I'm sorry Herky..." Jay Jay told him, looking very upset. He hadn't meant to break the table, or the box.

"Its fine," Replied Herky. "I'm just worried about my gum shield. You're not hurt, are you?"

"No- just shaken." Jay Jay answered.

"Okay,"

After Jay Jay had regained his senses, the four went to have a look at the contents of the box. Unfortunately, as they opened the box, they soon saw that Herky's gum shield was broken in half. They all gasped in horror on seeing the damage.

"Well, maybe we could get Brenda to fix it." Tracey suggested hopefully. "She does know how to fix things like this."

"Yeah, you're right, Tracey." Jay Jay agreed, though deep down, he still felt terrible for having broken Herky's gum shield in the first place. He resolved to make it up to his friend at the first possible opportunity.

...

However, when they arrived at Brenda's workshop in the pouring rain, she was very busy, as Old Oscar was very ill, and he hadn't been able to work for days.

"Brenda, can you help us, please?" They asked her.

"Sure, I'll come and have a look. I'll be back in a minute, Oscar." She added to the elderly plane, before making her way to where her young friends were waiting for her. "What's wrong?" She inquired kindly.

"I accidentally broke Herky's gum shield during a game of Jet Frog." Jay Jay said sadly. "I didn't mean to do it, but I sort of crashed into the table it was on and broke it and the box."

"Well, the box can be easily replaced," Replied Brenda reassuringly. "But the gum shield will take a while to fix. I'm afraid with me fixing Old Oscar too I wouldn't be able to see to your gum shield until tomorrow. If I do get a bit of spare time I'll see what I can do, but even then it won't be ready by tonight."

"Oh," Said Herky quietly. "But I need it, Brenda."

"I know, and I'm sorry, Herky- but I can't manage everything at once. Though I will do what I can- and in the meantime, you'll just have to bear without it for the night." Brenda promised.

"And we'll help you!" Jay Jay added, who was still eager to make it up to Herky for breaking his gum shield and getting them into the mess in the first place. Snuffy and Tracey smiled in agreement.

"Thanks, guys. That means a lot." Herky smiled bravely.

"You don't need to thank us, Herky. We're your friends." Snuffy reminded him.

...

Just before bedtime that night, Big Jake informed them that Old Oscar had been repaired and was due back at work in the morning. He also said that Brenda had started working on fixing the gum shield. Whilst Herky's gum shield was being fixed, Jay Jay decided that he would help his friend get some sleep that night.

However, he didn't know what to do to help his friend, as Herky was often prone to shaking whenever he didn't have his gum shield with him.

He did try a number of ways to get his friend to sleep. He got Savannah to tell them a story about one of her trips to Europe, but this only resulted in making Tracey and Snuffy deeply asleep. Herky did fall asleep too, but he kept shaking, so that didn't last long.

Next, he tried to talk to Herky about something, but he couldn't think of anything to talk about, as the pair had been together the whole day, and so it wasn't worth asking what had happened that day. Besides, he kept thinking back to the accident with the gum shield.

But just as he felt himself beginning to run out of ideas, he heard a bird outside, singing a song. This gave him an idea.

"I know! I'll sing him a lullaby! That'll help him relax."

He took a deep breath, and began to sing, 'The Moon'.

" _I see the moon, the moon sees me_

 _shining through the leaves of the old oak tree_

 _Oh, let the light that shines on me_

 _shine on the one I love._

 _Over the mountain, over the sea,_

 _back where my heart is longing to be_

 _Oh, let the light that shines on me_

 _shine on the one I love._

 _I hear the lark, the lark hears me_

 _singing from the leaves of the old oak tree_

 _Oh, let the lark that sings to me_

 _sing to the one I love,_

 _Over the mountains, over the sea_

 _back where my heart is longing to be_

 _Oh, let the lark that sings to me_

 _sing to the one I love."_

Jay Jay smiled as he finished the lullaby, and saw that his friend was fast asleep. Surprisingly, Herky didn't shake and fuss at all! He was snoozing peacefully, looking very relaxed without his gum shield.

"Goodnight Herky. Sweet dreams." Jay Jay whispered, before he yawned and his eyes drifted to a close- and in his dreams, he dreamt that he, Herky Tracey and Snuffy were playing hide and seek with the moon.


	12. Snuffy's Odd Reflection

Snuffy and the Mirror

...

It was early one rainy morning at E.Z Airlines, and Snuffy was already feeling bored. He was also sad, as he couldn't go outside and play with his friends, or visit Prince Duffy in Skylandia. "I wish there was something to do in here!" He said to himself. "But there's nothing exciting or fun to do indoors."

But no matter how hard Snuffy tried of thinking of something to do, he couldn't think of anything to do! This made him feel even more bored and a bit frustrated.

"I'll go and ask Jay Jay and see if he's got any good ideas on what we could do." He decided at last, giving up on ever having any fun by himself.

But just as he was backing up to find his friend, he saw something covered in a long green cloth embroidered with gold threads, and he was suddenly curious as to find out what it was.

"I've never seen that before," He said. "I bet it'll be something exciting!" So he sidled up to the object, and carefully yanked the cloth away to reveal a beautiful gold oval shaped mirror. It had fancy intricate patterns normally seen on curtains; little sparkly birds studded on each side of the mirror, and a beautiful silver banner on the top, reading; 'A gift to my friends.'

This made the little green skywriter confused. He didn't know who would send them a mirror or why, but he knew it was a very beautiful mirror.

"Gosh, it's pretty! I bet the others will want to see this! I have to show them right now!"

He rushed forward to look in the mirror- but he saw surprised him, for he was staring at someone else's reflection. It was indeed a green skywriter, but it wore a gold crown, and Snuffy knew he wasn't wearing one, so therefore...he was looking at Prince Duffy's reflection!

Snuffy was surprised, not to mention a little alarmed, so he reversed away from the mirror as fast as he could go.

...

Later, Snuffy was about to ask Jay Jay and Tracey if they wanted to play when he remembered about the mirror again.

"This is strange," thought the little skywriter. "Why was Prince Duffy in the mirror and not my own reflection?"

He was sure about one thing, though- and that was that he was definitely not imagining things, and he wanted to prove it to his friends.

"Hello, Jay Jay! Hello Tracey!" He called out casually to his friends.

"Hey Snuffy!" Jay Jay and Tracey chorused in reply.

"Listen guys, do you know anything about the mirror over there?" Snuffy asked.

"No," Jay Jay answered hesitantly.

"We don't even have a mirror here." Tracey added.

"We do though! I saw it- it was covered in a green cloth and when I looked in it, it showed Prince Duffy's reflection instead of mine!" Snuffy insisted.

"Are you sure, Snuffy? Mirrors don't show other people's reflections." Tracey told him matter of factly.

"I know I saw it! He was wearing the crown of Skylandia!"

Jay Jay was still in disbelief over the matter, but he believed that it was worth checking out anyway. "Maybe we should go and have a look." He suggested to his friend. "I know it sounds like it couldn't happen, but you never know! Magic exists!"

Tracey sighed. "Okay," She agreed, but it was obvious that she didn't believe Snuffy's story- it did sound rather ridiculous. She was convinced he had imagined it.

...

Soon, they arrived at the place where Snuffy had found the mirror- and it was still where he had left it previously.

"It is a very pretty mirror!" Tracey smiled. She read the banner: 'A gift to my friends.' She wondered who had given them the mirror- there was no letter or card to be found, and the inscription was the only writing on the mirror- back and front- to be found.

Meanwhile, Jay Jay was slowly edging towards the glass of the mirror- he was a bit worried in case it did happen.

As he looked in the glass, he saw an image of the smiling prince of Skylandia, beaming from within. It looked sincere, but Jay Jay had no idea how the mirror was doing it, so he speechless for a minute.

"Tracey, look!" Snuffy cried, as he saw the image reappear like before.

She did, and she was shocked to see Prince Duffy's reflection as well- she hadn't expected it to be real, but now she had no proof to deny it was false.

"I'm sorry for doubting you, Snuffy." She apologised.

"That's alright." The three backed away and then watched as the image faded from view. "Right now, we need help."

"You're right- and I know who can help us!" Jay Jay declared, and he set off, with Snuffy and Tracey following him.

...

They found Old Oscar talking to Big Jake, and they all felt relieved. They hurried over to the two older planes and interrupted their conversation with the story of the strange mirror.

"Woah, slow down kids- what's going on? And speak one at a time." Big Jake instructed.

So slowly and taking it in turns to narrate, the three young planes explained everything that had happened that day since Snuffy found the mirror. When they finished, Big Jake and Old Oscar were in silence about it for a while, and exchanged looks as well.

"I had no idea we had a mirror here." Big Jake confessed to his friend at last.

"Nor do I," Old Oscar continued. "This seems really odd," the old bio-plane said. "Don't worry; we'll help you solve this mystery together."

"Yes- now please show us where you found the mirror, kids." Big Jake added.

Turning around, the three little planes hurried away towards the place they had left the mirror, leaving Big Jake and Old Oscar to attempt to catch up with them.

When the five arrived at the mirror, they showed them the banner, before Snuffy went up to the glass in the mirror to show them what they had been talking about. Sure enough, the image of Prince Duffy appeared once more. Snuffy, feeling a bit dazed, accidentally blurted out "Hello, Your Majesty."

Then, much to everyone's surprise, the mirror replied.

"Hello Snuffy! Do you like the gift I sent you and your friends?"

"What gift? Oh, you mean the mirror!" Snuffy realised. "Yes, it's lovely. Thank you for giving it."

"You're welcome- but this mirror is no ordinary mirror. It is a magic mirror, which means whenever anyone in Tarrytown wishes to communicate with me or any of my Skylandian friends, or vice versa, we just go up to the mirror and speak to it!"

"That explains a lot." Big Jake said.

And so, Snuffy learned that sometimes, there are some unexpected surprises in life, and that they should be enjoyed when they come.


	13. Herky's Sleep Flying

It had been a busy day for Herky the Helicopter. He had been busy performing tricks for a circus that had come to Tarrytown. He had had to do a lot of practice to get his routine just right, and now he just wanted to go to sleep, but he had to get back to his hangar for a good night's sleep. The little helicopter made his way towards the hanger, but he was so tired, it was hard to keep his eyes open.

He soon accidentally bumped into Tracey, who was in the middle of showing a new loop the loop trick to Snuffy and Savannah.

"Herky! Watch where you're going!" She huffed. She was cross as he had interrupted her demonstration, and she had to start all over again.

Next, he ended up flying into Savannah's coconut tree at the end of the runway. It didn't fall down, but a coconut fell out of the tree and nearly hit Herky. Luckily, it missed him as he decided to fly away again.

Jay Jay saw what was going on, and he was worried for his friend, lest he hurt himself in his sleep. So he decided to alert Mr E.Z O'Malley, the manager, of the unusual situation.

He found him saying goodbye to Brenda Blue, who was going home a bit earlier as her mother had the flu.

"Mr O' Malley, sir, may I talk to you, please?" He asked, a bit out of breath.

"Yes, that's fine, Jay Jay. What's wrong?"

"It's Herky, sir. He's flying into things he shouldn't be flying into."

"Hm, I see. I better take a look myself."

...

So Jay Jay brought Mr O' Malley with him and showed him what Herky was doing next- at first, he was flying slowly but straight- but then, he suddenly zig-zagged and bumped into Brenda's workshop door.

"Yes, I agree, Jay Jay. This is looking very serious indeed. We'd better catch him before he gets hurt." Mr. O Malley said, climbing into Jay-Jay's cockpit.

The little jet followed Herky around E.Z Airlines for quite a while, and every near mile he travelled, he felt his fuel tank clock closer to empty, and he was forced to slow down to conserve fuel. This, unfortunately, made trying to catch up with Herky really difficult- because he couldn't travel as fast, he wasn't able to keep track of where Herky was going all the time, and if he disappeared it would become very hard to find him again.

When Mr O' Malley discovered that Jay Jay's fuel tank was nearly empty, he knew they would have to stop.

"We'd better land now, Jay Jay, and give you more fuel right away before you crash."

"It's in Brenda's workshop sir." Jay Jay supplied.

This made Mr O'Malley groan. Brenda had gone home already, and he didn't have the keys with him- they were in his office.

"We'd better land anyway." He decided.

"But what about Herky sir?" The blue jet protested. "I can't just leave him like this!"

"Jay Jay, you know the rules- no flying with an empty or a near empty fuel tank," Mr O' Malley said sternly. "Especially with passengers on board."

"Yes sir," Agreed Jay Jay sadly, and he had no choice but to fly back down and land on the runway again. They needed another plan to catch Herky.

...

Then, they heard the sound of a plane coming into the airport. It was Big Jake, with a special delivery for the airport.

Herky was now back in plain sight, and they both watched as he headed straight for Big Jake.

"Herky, be careful," Big Jake said sternly. "I'm carrying fuel, and it's dangerous to bump someone with fuel."

Herky didn't respond, and flew on, still in a deep sleep. Big Jake headed for the runway, but when he saw Jay Jay, he quickly changed his plan of landing so it was still safe, but wouldn't hurt Jay Jay.

"Hello Jay Jay." He said when he landed. He sounded surprised to see him. "What are you doing in the middle of the runway?"

"Hello Big Jake." Jay Jay replied sadly. "I'm low on fuel, and I'm trying to catch Herky."

"He's sleep flying." Mr O' Malley added.

"I see," Answered Big Jake. "Well, lucky for you, Brenda ordered more fuel for us. I can spare some for you to fill up your tank."

"Thanks Big Jake!" Jay Jay replied enthusiastically. He felt much better that he could now catch Herky again.

"You're welcome, my friend," Smiled Big Jake. Once Jay Jay's tank had been refilled, he thanked his friend, and set off to try and catch Herky before he hurt himself.

"Good luck!" Big Jake called from below them.

"Thanks Big Jake!" They both chorused, and with that, they were on their way again!

...

After flying round for five minutes, they suddenly saw Herky, who was dipping down dangerously. "What if he's out of fuel, sir?" Jay Jay asked Mr. O' Malley nervously.

"Don't worry, Jay Jay, I can get another plane to help us. Let me think...I think that Snuffy can help us carry him."

Using Jay Jay's radio, he contacted Snuffy, and asked him to come and find them in the sky above the hangar so that he could help them bring Herky back down to the ground again.

"Come on, Jay Jay, we'd better hurry and catch him!" EZ O' Malley announced.

So Jay Jay flew after his helicopter friend, and managed to get a wing under Herky to support him, but he needed Snuffy to arrive before Herky ran out of fuel- or else there would be a nasty accident.

"Come on, Snuffy!" Jay Jay said to himself- and then he saw a familiar lime green skywriter flying up towards them. "Snuffy's here, sir!" He cheered.

"I'm here, Mr. O' Malley!" Snuffy exclaimed.

"Good- now put a wing under Herky. He needs the support." Mr O' Malley instructed.

"Okay, sir." So Snuffy gently placed a wing underneath Herky to help him balance.

"Now, to the hangar," Mr O' Malley said quietly, not wanting to wake Herky up from his deep sleep -after what they'd been through to catch him.

So the trio worked together to bring Herky down near the ground again and then they helped him back to his enormous hangar, where they both laid him down gently to sleep. He wasn't wearing his gum shield, but they decided to leave it, as he was so tired, he hadn't noticed he wasn't wearing it.

"Goodnight Herky." Jay Jay said. "Sleep well."

So the planes learned that sometimes, friends need help with things out of their control, and that they should always be ready to help, no matter what.


	14. Old Oscar's Birthday

It was a special day at Mr E.Z O' Malley's Airport- it was Old Oscar's birthday! He loved celebrating his birthday, as he liked to do what he wanted on his special day. Normally, he didn't mind working, and would happily do his work, but today, he just wanted to make the most of his birthday, as it only came round once a year.

"I think I shall like to have a nap outside." He decided. He had been up for a while, but the sun was shining outside the hangar, and it was very warm- the perfect weather for a nap.

So Old Oscar exited the hangar, and took a deep breath. It was a lovely day- in addition to the sun shining, the birds were singing sweetly. The old plane wondered if they were singing happy birthday to him. He doubted it, but he entertained the thought nonetheless for a while, as he looked for the perfect place to take a nap.

At last, he found one- it was far away from the runway, and it was a very sunny spot as well. He felt very warm as he settled down for his nap.

"Ah, this is bliss..." He sighed, and his eyes drifted to a close...

...

Sometime later, however, he heard a noise that sounded like footsteps, and he stirred. He hoped whoever it was would leave him alone.

Unfortunately, it didn't look like it- but he could make out Mr O' Malley's footsteps as he paid more attention to the noise.

The old bio-plane woke up with a start as the manager of E.Z Airlines footsteps came closer. "Ah, Oscar!" He greeted. "I have a job for you,"

"Yes sir?" Old Oscar asked, although he was cross at having his birthday nap spoiled.

"I need you to deliver some apples to Farmer Ben," Mr O' Malley replied. "Big Jake was meant to take it, but he's ill, and the others are busy right now. Could you take them along?"

"Yes sir, I'll do that." Old Oscar told him.

...

Once he had collected the apples, Old Oscar was soon flying to Farmer Ben's farm with the crates they were in. "Why do I have to work?" the wise old plane grumbled. "Today is my birthday, and I want to make it just right for me."

"Well, work comes first, I'm afraid," The pilot reminded him. "Farmer Ben will be grateful though." He added comfortingly.

"I guess..." Old Oscar replied.

When Old Oscar arrived, he found Farmer Ben waiting for him. Farmer Ben was very pleased to have his apples to his orchard and gave Old Oscar some chocolate for a little present.

"It's not much, but I figured it would both be a birthday present and a little thank you favour for bringing me the apples. I know it's your birthday, but it was still very generous of you to bring these apples down. Thanks Oscar."

"You're welcome," The old plane replied. He was very surprised at hearing this, but he felt pleased too. Now he didn't feel so cross about not getting his birthday nap. "Well, I guess I'd better head back," He said. "Thank you for the chocolate, by the way."

"You're welcome, Oscar. I hope you enjoy the rest of your birthday." Farmer Ben told him, smiling.

"I will. Thank you!"

The two said goodbye, and then Old Oscar flew home to Tarrytown, being mindful of his birthday chocolate melting.

Soon, he returned to E.Z Airlines, and he was determined to enjoy the rest of his birthday how he wanted to. So he decided to go and eat a little bit of his chocolate and talk to the 'lightning bugs' at Lightning Bug Lake for a while.

But just as he was about to take off, he saw Brenda Blue running towards him, her hair askew from under her cap. "Oscar, we need you for another delivery!" She exclaimed. "I'm sorry about making you do another job after you've just come back, but this is urgent!"

"Yes, Brenda?" Old Oscar asked her.

"You're needed to deliver some flour to the bakery. Will you do that?"

"Yes sir- I mean, Brenda." The old plane corrected himself hastily. "I'll get onto it straight away."

"Thank you so much, Oscar. You're a very helpful plane." She told him, and she hurried away again towards her workshop.

"Great- another delivery!" Old Oscar sighed. He hadn't gotten round to enjoying his birthday like he had planned to, and he felt a bit put out.

...

So several sacks of flour were loaded into Old Oscar, and he took off towards the bakery to do his second delivery of the day. The bakery owner was extremely relieved to get the flour needed to make bread, cakes and pastries.

"Thank you, Oscar." She said kindly. "I do appreciate you delivering the flour for me. I was worried I wouldn't be able to do any more baking today."

"That's alright," Old Oscar responded. "I'm just happy to help." Except he did feel sad- he normally was happy to help, but today, he just felt that his plans for a perfect birthday had just flown out of the window. Trying hard not to show how upset he was, he said goodbye to the bakery owner, and he flew home in silence.

...

As soon as his wheels landed on the runway, he noticed that rain had come on, and he was now feeling worse than ever.

"Does this day get any worse?" He asked miserably. "None of today went right, and now it's raining!"

Sighing, he decided to go to his hangar and have a rest away from the rain and his horrid birthday. But as he got closer to the hangar, he heard noises coming from within. Curious, he went closer to the door and entered.

He was amazed at what he saw! A long table laden with party food was right down the middle of the hangar. Silver, blue, pink, yellow and green balloons were up on the walls, and multi coloured streamers were everywhere. On the wall, he could see a large banner which read 'Happy Birthday!'

"SURPRISE!"

Old Oscar jumped as his friends all came from nowhere to wish him a happy birthday. They were all cheering and laughing.

"Welcome to your surprise party Oscar!" Jay Jay told him excitedly. "I hope you enjoy it!"

"It's...its amazing! Thank you everyone!" Old Oscar replied in disbelief and gratitude.

"We're sorry about the jobs Oscar, but it was a distraction for the preparations to be made." Mr O'Malley confessed. "I hope you don't mind."

"It was worth it sir. I had no idea!" The old bio-plane said.

"Happy birthday, Oscar!" Big Jake boomed.

"Thank you. Thank you all." Old Oscar replied.

And so, Old Oscar earned hat sometimes days do not go as planned, but magical things happen when it is least expected.


	15. Tracy's Bedtime Problems

It was a moonlit night at E.Z Airlines and all the airplanes were already sound asleep, except for one plane- Tracy. She was feeling restless and unable to stop thinking long enough to fall asleep. So, the little pink jet went to the magic mirror and she found herself staring into Prince Duffy's gentle face.

"Hello, Tracy," The prince greeted kindly. "How may I help you tonight?"

"I can't sleep, Your Highness." The pink jet admitted. "I can't stop thinking."

"What about, Tracy?" Prince Duffy inquired softly.

"I just keep thinking about tomorrow." Tracy yawned. "I like it when its day and I can go outside with my friends. But I can't do that at night, and I'm having trouble sleeping."

"I see." The prince replied gravely. "Well, as you are aware, my subjects and I have an earlier bedtime than you do, and we do sometimes have trouble falling asleep too. I shall go through some ways we use to sleep and then you can try some ideas and see if they work."

"Oh thank you!" Tracy exclaimed happily. "That would be wonderful!"

"The first idea I have is listening to some soothing music." The royal, lime green skywriter told her. "Do you have something to listen to music with?"

"The closest I have is Brenda Blue's radio, but it's always kept in her workshop, and she locks it up at night." Tracy replied sadly.

"I see. Never mind- I still have other ideas we can try. The next idea I will suggest is counting sheep. Imagine you are in a field, and you see loads of sheep. Try and count how many you see."

Tracy thought the idea would work, so she agreed to give it an attempt. She imagined herself in a green field one sunny day, and she saw sheep running round the field. They reminded her of fluffy golf balls going round in circles.

She counted one sheep, two sheep, three, four, and five...

Unfortunately for Tracy, she lost count after a while, and became upset that she could not count the correct number of sheep in the field. "I lost count of the sheep- I'm sorry Your Highness!" She cried, as she went back to the mirror.

"Please don't be sorry, Tracy. I'm the one who is sorry- that technique is meant to be relaxing, but I hadn't realised that would happen." The prince replied gloomily. "It's not your fault."

Tracy still felt bad she had lost count of the sheep, so Prince Duffy calmly tried to talk to her about something else instead so that she could take her mind off her scenario.

"Have you been busy lately Tracy?" He asked her in a reassuring voice.

"Yes- I delivered a load of hay to Farmer Ben's farm with Jay Jay yesterday," Tracy reflected. She smiled at the memory. "Yesterday was a good day-I played Leap Frog with Herky, Snuffy and Jay, and then Jay and I went to Farmer Ben's with the delivery after lunch, and Brenda Blue taught me a new song."

"Can you remember what the words are?" The prince asked her curiously.

"Not all of them, but I can remember a little bit." Tracy answered. "Do you want me to sing?"

"If you don't mind Tracy, I'd love to hear you sing."

So Tracy took a deep breath, and then another. After taking a third deep breath she began to quietly sing the words she could remember of the new song;

 _"Oh little nightingale, plain as can be,_

 _Yet still sings sweet to me!_

 _Oh sweet little plain bird of night,_

 _Please don't flee or fly in fright,_

 _I shall keep ye safe,_

 _And may the Moon's maternal gaze_

 _Keep you near, and nearer still to me."_

She finished the verse and looked at Prince Duffy, who was smiling happily.

"You sing beautifully Tracy." He smiled earnestly. "I enjoyed hearing you sing."

"Thank you, Your Highness." Tracy smiled broadly. She prided herself on her singing as much as she prided herself on her flying.

The prince pondered for a moment. "Actually, Tracy, what you did before you began singing gave me an idea on how to help you sleep."

"What is it?" The little pink plane questioned hopefully. She really needed to sleep!

"Have you ever heard of meditation?" Prince Duffy asked.

"No...What is it?"

"It's a breathing exercise which you use to bring peace to a troubled mind. It is very effective in helping many people sleep- in fact, I use it myself."

"Does it always work?"

"Most of the time- now would you like to try meditation?"

"Yes please!"

"Okay then- now close your eyes, and breathe deeply. Don't focus on anything other than the meditation, or else it wouldn't work. Okay?"

"Okay." As Tracy closed her eyes and began to breathe deeply, she noticed that other thoughts were on her mind – like racing Jay Jay, admiring Snuffy's sky drawings and going to Smiling Meadows to talk to Breezy the Butterfly.

But she pushed the thoughts aside. She didn't want to think about that right now- Prince Duffy had warned her to only focus on the meditation. So she did.

Then, she felt something strange happen - her thoughts were slowing down, and with each deep breath she took, she found herself getting drowsier, and she was finding it harder to fight to keep herself from falling asleep right there and then. She opened her eyes and looked at the prince.

"Your Highness," the little pink jet yawned sleepily. "I think it's working. I'm getting sleepy."

"I'm very glad to hear it Tracy. Now you better get to sleep- you have a busy day tomorrow and you'll need the rest for it." He replied, with a smile on his face.

"Thank you, Your Highness." Tracy smiled sleepily. "I will. Goodnight."

"Goodnight Tracy. Sweet dreams." The benevolent prince replied, with a soft, tender smile on his face and gentleness in his eyes.

As Tracy reversed away from the mirror, the image of her friend faded, and she smiled as she made her way back to the hangar. "Prince Duffy's a good friend." She murmured to herself. "I'm glad he's always there to help us out, no matter what the problem is."


End file.
